Expression device for automatic pianos and similar musical instruments.



I M. M. KASTNBR & c. KATZ. v EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIG- PIANOS 'AND SIMILAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

AIPLIOATION FILED m. 2, 1910.

' Patented Mar.11,1913.

1 055 469. a gamma-sans: 1.

k\ m 3 l Fll wm flkfi 132 11 8 m Jw T g 1 5 v Witnesses. Inventors.-

' EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR M. M. KASTNER 8; 0. KATZ.

AUTOMATIC PI'ANOS AND SIMILAR M APTLIOATION FILED AUQJ, 1910.

' Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

USIGAL INSTRUMENTS.

M- M. KASTNBR & G. KATZ.

APPLIGATIUN FILED AUG. 2 19 l0 Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET s.

Witnesss.

To all whom it may concern NITED sTAT s PAT N OFFICE,

MAGARIUS MAXIMILIAIT KASTNER gm) CQNB-AD KATZ, or LONDON, NGLAND; SAID f a KATZ'ASSIGNOR o SAID KAS-TNER.

. EXPRESSION DEVICE on AUToMA'rIc PIANOS AND SIMILAR. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS:

Be it known that we, MAoAR Us MAXI- MILIAN KASTNER and CONRAD 'KA'rz, both citizens of Germany, and residents of London, England, have jointly invented a new and'useful Express on -Device for Auto- *m'atic Pianos and Similar Musical Instruments,

tion. I p I The invention relates to an expression ofjwhich the following is a specificadevice of novel' construction by which any i desired note maybe emphasized either automatically or manually by increasing the valve disks o and 5 ing bellows 9 with the a rear view thereofiFig;

quantity of air exhausted from the bellows. Our, device requiresa minimal space and maybe readily applied to existing piano players, Without necessitating extensive reconstructions." Y

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is, a longitudinal section of our improved expresslon device showing it to be pneumatically actuated; Fi

2 a similar section of; a modlficatlon,

showing it electrically actuated; Fig. 3a similar section of a further modification, showing it manually actuated; Fig. 4: a front View of the valve seat; Fig. 5 6 'a detail of the sound increasing valve-disk; Fig. 7 a detail of the diaphragm controlling said disk, and 30 Fig. 8- a longitudinal section through the valve and cooperating part-s.

' Each tone producing perforation lot a tracker bar 2 is by a duct 3 connected to a chamber 3, while an opposed vacuum chamber 8 is separated from chamber 3 by a diaphragm 4. The latter; is adapted to engage a headed stem 5 carrying a pair of of which, disk 5 normally rests against a co-nif'orm shell 10 carriedby a stationary circular plate 11, so that a cup is formed on the plate by the shell. Plate ll'is apertured for the passage of valye stem 5 and is provided with a port mi that establishes permanentcomunmication between chamber 8 and the cup formedbv the parts 10, 11. Disk 5 is normally raised ofl' its seat, so as to open a passage 6 which eonnectsthe interior of the hammer-actuatatmosphere. It a Specification of Letters Patent.

stem 5 is advanced.

' be ad vanced or Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

Application filed August 2, 1910, Serial No. 575,076;

perforation l is uncoveredbya corresponding perforation of the music sheet, air is ad-;

so that diaphragm mitted into 'chamber'3 4 will advance stem 5 to close passage 6 and open a passage 7 which connects the interior of shell 10 with bellows 9 to collapse the latter and sound the desired tone.

In addition to portal, the area of which is ,such as to cause the sounding of a comparatively soft tone, plate 11 is provided with a pairof preferably curved vents (0,1), which are also adaptedto communicate with the cup thereof and which when opened permit the withdrawal of a: large quantity of air from bellows 9, to cause a more powerful collapse of the; latter, whereby the desired emphasis of the tone is obtained, Vents (2,1) are normally closed by an annular or v, member disk 12 connected in suitable manner to a diaphragm 33 which when collapsed will open said ports-whilefupon the expansion of the diaphragm, disk 12 will close the ports. a

Diaphragms 33 areactuated by means of expression ducts 34 of tracker bar 2, the number of duct-s 34: being equal to that of perforations 1. In order not to unduly .extend the width of the music-roll, ductsp34 ,are arranged in transverse rows, each row being shown to comprise three ducts. To emphasize a tune, the music sheet is provided in addition to the toneproducing perforation, with a tone-emphasizing perforation, which latter uncovers the corresponding duct 34 of the tracker bar slightly prior to the uncovering of perforation 1, so that vents a, b areopcned before It is obvious that with the arrangement of ducts 34 in transverse rows. the corresponding tone-emphasizing" perforation: of the music sheet must either set back relatively to the coiiyn-rrating lone producing perforalionmsoastosin'i'lltaneously open the corresponding tracker bar ducts, whereby in each case thetone emphasizing ducts are uncovered slightly prior to the uncovering of the tone producing ducts. So for instance, if the music sheet travels in the direc tance slightly-exceeding the division of the 4 the uncovering of a with diaphragm 33 disk v12 to open '21 being interposed Source of electricity tion ofthe arrow (Fig. 1), the tone-emphasizmg perforation of the music sheet that uncovers duct 34, must be advanced relatively to the cooperating tone producing perforation hat uncovers duct 1, for a distone emphasizing ducts. In like manner, the tone emphasizing perforation of the music sheet that uncovers duct 34? must be set back relatively to the cooperating tone producing perforation that uncovers duct 1" for a distantie slightly less than the division of the tone emphasizing ducts. Upon duct 34, air is admitted into a passage 35, so that a idiaphragm'36' will lift a valve 30. In this way, an air inlet'31 is closed'and a thereby connecting a vacuum chamber 38 throughduct 32. Dia- 33 is thus iiretracted together with ts a, b, so that upon the subsequent advance of stem 5, the tone is sounded with fullforce.

It is obvious that each row may embrace more than three of such ducts,- the condition only being that the coacting tone-producin and tone-emphasizing per forations of tide tune sheet are relatively so positioned that a duct 34-is opened slightly In advance ofits cooperating perforation 1.' The uncovering of the remainder of the ducts of the same row causes but an idle play of disk 12 without sounding any tone:

In Fig. 2 the perforations 34 of tracker bar 2 are replaced by similarly arranged conductive segments 15,-said segments being, by wires 16, connected to electromagnets 17 which are inturn, by wires 18, connected 'to a source of electricity 19. Disks 12 constitute the armatures of electromagnets, springs between theparts 12, 21. 19 is by wire23 connected to contact bars 22 arranged in front of segments 15, so that if a properly positioned perforation bf the tune sheet causes a contact between a' segment 15 and a bar 22, tlie corresponding disk 12 will be attracted by electromagnet 17 to produce the desired loud tone. f

In Fig. 3 segments 15are replaced by ducts 40 connected by passages 42 with phragm chambers 43 closed by diaphragms .43 and should. be arranged chamber 8 through permanently communicating with vacuum an aperture 44. In front of ducts 40 are manually shiftable bars 41 perforation 40. As soon as such perforation is closed by its her 41, the air will be withdrawn from chamber 43 and passage 42 to collapse diaphragm 43 retract disk 12 and open vents a, 6, thereby emphasizing the tone desired.

The contact bars :and controlling bars along the duct bridge,-

port 37 is opened,

of ducts 34 comprising so that the player need only finger one or a r v I bit rarily actuate the expression device, in

advance of the striking of the note, and is not limited to simultaneously operate the expression and the sound producing means. The invention may obviously be applied to musical instruments other than pianos, such as automatic violins, etc., and the pneumatics may be operated by compressed air instead of by. suction. We claim: e

1. A device of the character described, comprising a hammer actuating bellows, a vacuum chamber, an apertured plate within the chamber and having a plurality of ports, a valve having a. stem that passes through the apertured plate and controls communr.

cation between, the bellows and vacuum chamber, means for actuating the valve, a member adapted to close part of the plate ports, and means for actuating said member. 2. A device of the character described, comprising a hammer actuating bellows, a vacuum chamber, an apertured plate within the chamber and having a plurality of ports, some of which are permanently open while others are adapted to be temporarily closed, a valve having a stem that passes through the apertured plate and controls communication between the bellows and the vacuum chamber, means for actuating the valve, a member adapted to close the last named ports, and means for actuating saidmember.

3. A device of the character described, a hammer actuating bellows, a vacuum chamber, a shell, a plate connected thereto and provided with a plurality of ports adapted to establish communication between the vacuum chamber and shell, a valve controlling communication between the bellows and shell, means for actuating said valve, a member adapted to close part 4 of the plate-ports, and means for actuating said membergs 4. A device of the character described, comprising a hammer actuating bellows, a vacuum chamber, a shell, a plate connected thereto and provided with a central aperture and a plurality of ports adapted to establish communication between the vacuum chamber and shell, a valve having a stem that passes through the plate-aperture and controls communication betweenthe bellows and shell, a member adapted to close part of the plate-ports, and means for actuating said member."

5. A device of the character described, comprisinga tracker 'b ar provided with a longitudinal row of player holes and with a P plurality of tra nsverse rbws of accentuating In testimprly whereof we have afilxed bur holes, a plurality of hammer actuating" bels gnatures 1n the presenceof two wltnesses.

10ws,'111eans controlled by each player hole MACARIUS MAXIMILIAN KASTNER. for collapsing by exhaust the c06perable CONRAD KATZ.

5 hamnler-actuating bellows, and means c 0n-- Witnesses:

trolled by the cprresponding accentuating R. WESTACOTT,

hole for accelerating said exhaust. H. D. JAMESON.

. l k I Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingfche commissioner f Patents Washington, D. C." 

